Combustible gas powered pogo stick



March 22, 1960 G. SPlTZMESSER COMBUSTIBLE GAS POWERED POGO STiCK FiledJan. 10, 1958 INVENTOR.

United rates COMBUSTIBLE GAS POWERED POGO STHJK Gordon Spitzmesser,Elwood, Ind. Application January 10, 1958, Serial No. 708,294 4 Claims.(Cl. 1808) This invention relates to amusement devices and moreparticularly to a pogo stick.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a pogo stick for useby children and adults alike that has a self-contained internalcombustion engine for assisting the propulsion of the unit.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a combustion gasassisted pogo stick of the above type which is readily adjustable forthe weight of the particular operator and which is extremely safe andharmless and of tremendous entertainment value.

Other objects of the invention are to provide a pogo stick bearing theabove objects in mind which is of simple construction, has a minimumnumber of parts, is inexpensive to manufacture and efiicient inoperation.

For other objects and for a better understanding of the invention,reference may be had to the following detailed description taken inconjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a front elevational view, partly in section, of a pogo stickmade in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 2 is a transverse cross sectional view taken along line 22 ofFigure l; and

Figure 3 is an enlarged longitudinal cross sectional view of a valveforming a part of the present invention.

Referring now more in detail to the drawing, a combustion gas assistedpogo stick made in accordance with the present invention is shown toinclude a main support frame that is constructed of a pair of similarframe members 12 having outwardly extending handles 13 at their upperends and a transversely extending foot rest 15 secured to their lowerends, such as by bolts 14. A drive shaft 16 having a resilient pad 18 atits lower end is slidably received within the central portion of thefoot rest 15 and extends upwardly into the lower open end of a cylinder20.

The uppermost end of the drive shaft 16 is slidably guided'through alower bearing 23 of the compression cylinder 2t) and is secured to thepiston 22. A compression spring 24 that is disposed between the bearing23 at one end and a stop 25 at the other end, supplies the normal springaction ordinarily required for the operation of any conventional type ofpogo stick. This lower stop 25, however, is adjustable betweenvertically spaced apart settings 26 so as to adjust the pre-compressionof the spring 24 in order to accommodate operators of different weights.

A fuel tank 27 is secured to the cylinder by means of a bracket 28immediately adjacent to the bracket 21 that secures the cylinder 20 tothe frame members 12. An outlet valve 29 meters the fiow of compressedgas from the tank 27 to the supply line 39. As is more clearly shown inFigure 3, the supply line 30 is connected to the inlet valve 31 which isin the head 32 of the cylinder 20. This inlet valve has a pair ofdownwardly diverging outlet bores 33 which are normally maintained outof communication with the supply line 30 by means of a ball 34 2,929,459Patented Mar. 22, 1960 which is spring biased toward the closed positionby a compression spring 35 immediately following the combustion of thepreceding quantity of fuel. A sparkplug 40 also carried by the head 32of the cylinder is disposed immediately adjacent the fuel inlet valveand is energized through a lead 42 by a battery carried within anenclosed battery carrier 43 at the upper end of the frame. The sparkplug40 is energized in response to the closing of the contact points 46connected to the lead 45, as the frame descends relative to the driveshaft 16. As the frame reaches the bottom of its stroke, the washer 48is operative to trip the contact arm 47 carried by the frame to causethe contact points 46 to break, thus creating a spark and igniting thegas. With this arrangement, the current is always off except when thewasher 48 trips the contact arm 47. The position of this washer 48 maybe adjusted by the stop nuts 49 relative to the length of the driveshaft 16, thus controlling or adjusting the timing.

At the instant the sparkplug 40 is energized by the movement of thecontact arm 47 into engagement with the washer 48, the resultingcombustion causes relative movement between the piston and the cylinder.Until the piston moves past the exhaust ports 51, the pressure of thegases prevents additional fuel from being drawn into the cylinder.However, as soon as the piston passes the exhaust ports 51, a new supplyof fresh air and fuel is'permitted to enter into the cylinder. At theend of this stroke, the piston will abut against a resilient pad 54 soas to cushion the blow. In addition, the outlet ports 53 permit air toescape from the lower side of the cylinder until the piston moves intoclosing engagement beyond these ports. For the remainder of the stroke,the piston compresses the remaining air which provides an additionalcushion that reduces the shock before the piston engages the pad 54.

These ports 53 also provide means for supplying lubricating oil to thesump 55 through an associated passageway 56 that may be brought intoalignment with the ports 53, as shown in Figure 1. Oil carried withinthe sump 55 is distributed through bleed lines 58 to the interiorsurface of the cylinder. However, since these bleed lines 58 extend fromthe uppermost portion of the sump 55, downwardly, there is littlepossibility that all of the oil will drain from the sump 55 at one time.An oil ring 59 at the outermost end of the piston prevents leakage andloss of the lubricating substance.

In using this device, the cycle is started by the operator giving theinitial jump upon the foot rest. As the frame reaches the bottom of itsstroke, thus causing ignition of the sparkplug, the resultingcompression forces the ball valve to seat and remain seated during thecompression stroke of the piston and until it passes the exhaust portsin the manner described. The instant that the cylinder is cleared, newair and gas is permitted to enter into the cylinder, thus enabling thecycle to be repeated. Not only does the adjustable washer 48 act as anadjustable timing device, but it also controls the compression ratio inrelation to the timing. By being able to select the compression settingenables the operator to have perfect performance for any specifiedweight. In addition, the settings 26 for the lower bearing member 25permit the spring compression to be adjusted so as to provide additionalor reduced spring cushioning effect during the compression stroke of thepiston. Since the drive shaft 16 and associated elements are readilyrotatable with respect to the frame and its associated elements, it isnot necessary to provide additional structure to prevent rotationtherebetween. This further adds to the maneuverability of the pogo stickand the reduction of additional components and parts. Furthermore, sincethe ignition circuit is energized only during the actual firing of thespark plug, the length of the batteries and the 3 economy of operationof the device is further enhanced.

While various changes may be made in the detail construction, it shallbe understood that such changes shall be within the spirit and scope ofthe present invention as defined by the appended claims.

What I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent of theUnited States is:

l. A combustible gas powered pogo stick comprising, in combination, aframe having a foot rest at a lower end and a pair of handles at anupper end, a readily rotatable drive shaft slidably carried by saidframe in symmetrical relationship with said foot rest and handles forreciprocating longitudinal movement therewith, a spring normally urgingsaid driveshaft upwardly toward an extended position relative to saidframe, an internal combustion engine carried by said frame forforcefully driving said drive shaft downwardly and away from saidextended position, said engine comprising a single cylinder bolted tosaid frame, said cylinder arranged vertically upon the frame with aclosed upper end and an open bottom end, a bearing member horizontallysecured with in said cylinder adjacent the lower end thereof, a bearingcarried by the central portion of said foot rest directly beneath saidcylinder, said drive shaft movably mounted within both of said bearings,a readily rotatable piston slidably carried within said cylinder abovesaid hearing within said cylinder, said piston secured to the upper endof said rotatable drive shaft, a source of fuel for said engine,ignition means for igniting fuel delivered into said cylinder andcontrol means therefor.

2. The combination according to claim 1, wherein said internalcombustion engine and ignition means further comprises a spark plug inthe upper wall and extending into said closed upper end of its singlecylinder, said fuel tank for said engine carried by said frame adjacentthe lower end of said cylinder, a fuel supply line connecting said fueltank with an inlet valve arranged in the up er wall and extending intosaid closed upper end of its cylinder, a circuit making and breakingmechanism carried by said foot rest for automatically closing anelectric circuit for igniting the fuel in said cylinder when the samehas been compressed therein and air inlet passages and exhaust passagesarranged in the sidewalls of said cylinder below the mid-portionthereof.

3. The combination according to claim 2, wherein 'said fuel tank isconstructed to hold compressed gas therein and having an outlet valvefor metering the flow of compressed gas therefrom, and said inlet valveembodying a pair of downwardly diverging outlet boxes normallymaintained out of communication with the supply line by means of a ballvalve which is spring biased toward the closed position by a coilspring.

4. The combustible gas powered pogo stick according to claim 1, whereinsaid frame includes a 'pair of tubular members arranged vertically andparallel, throughout a major portion of their length, with each otherand having the upper ends thereof diverging outwardly/ from each otherin a horizontal plane to provide said handles, a battery carried at theupper end of said frame between said handles and adjacent thereto, saidignition r'nea'n'sifneluding a switch carried upon the lower side ofsaid foot rest and a switch contact member secured upon the lower end ofsaid drive shaft adjacent said switch to operate same when said shaftreciprocate's therepa'st.

References fitted in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTSHansburg May 21, 1957 An in. Us

